Pineapple Chicken Pasta

So..this isn't exactly healthy BUT it's not exactly unhealthy either.

It's what I like to call "right in the middle". As long as you don't eat 400 lbs of this then you are okay. 

I divided the recipe below into 3 separate meals and it was plenty for each meal. 

I really like the flavors of the Chinese sweet & sour sauce that we get with our meals from the local Chinese restaurant. I decided to make something similar and put it over pasta. 

Rice would also work great.

Gotta love simple and tasty dinners!

Pineapple Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

Sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup pineapple juice 

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

salt & pepper

1/3 cup water

Pasta

3/4 cup pasta (I used mini shells)

Pineapple Chicken

2 chicken breasts, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

Directions

Sauce - In a saucepan, whisk together cornstarch and hot water until smooth and cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in pineapple juice. Place over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, Thai sweet chili sauce, salt & pepper, and water. Let mixture come to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until thickened - 1 - 2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and set aside.

Pasta - Bring water for pasta to a boil. Cook pasta for about 4 minutes - so it has softened but is not completely done. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.

Pineapple chicken - In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink. Throw in the zucchini, onion, garlic, and pineapple. Cook until zucchini has started to soften, about 3 - 4 minutes.

Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and veggies. Toss in the under cooked pasta.

Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until pasta is completely cooked. *If the sauce is too thick then just stir in a bit more water to reach desired consistency.*

Serve hot.

From start to finish in under 30 minutes. All done on the stove top. 

Great idea for those days you just don't feel like prepping a big meal but still want something kind of healthy. 

Like I mentioned before, I got 3 big servings out of this. You could get more if you served this with a salad or something on the side. 

Looking for some great links for food and/or crafts? Check out -- Adorned From Above, My Sweet Mission, Dizzy Busy & Hungry